Being Mortal
by Arada
Summary: From one lifetime as a vampire hunter to the next lifetime as a regular high school student with no memories of the last, the ex hunter finds himself in a relationship of student to teacher with his old rival. Zero X Kaname: Male and Male Pairing.
1. One: Prologue

**A/N: **Here's the alternative universe story. There's a lot of changes in here and I'm sort of happy with the outcome of it. The main character, of course, is Zero since he's by far my favorite character in the series. Yuki's age is much younger in here for the sake of the flow of this story and so she doesn't even stand a chance of gaining love from Kaname Kuran and she definitely has no chance with Zero! This prologue may seem confusing to you guys at first and maybe even rushed but don't worry, it'll tie up in the end.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the series, or the characters but give me some credit for the idea of this story! I'm trying to be original.

**Warning(s): **Boy and Boy pairing, OOC (Out of Character), typos, cursing, and long.

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**Being Mortal**

**Type: **Alternative Universe

**Summary:**

From one lifetime as a vampire hunter to the next lifetime as a regular high school student with no memories of the last, the ex-hunter finds himself in a relationship of student to teacher with his old rival.

**Pairing: **Zero X Kaname

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**One: **Prologue

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"_A long, long time ago in a place far away where the grass was green and the sun was a radiant bright yellow, where the birds flocked and despair was only found in horror stories, there lived a young, and beautiful girl who had a strong heart and a kindness that was as contagious as any cold…_

_She was innocent, and yet the past that surrounded her was as mysterious as the shining stars that shone up in the night sky. Her inner demons and torments were pushed into the deep abyss of her mind…_

_Until two beautiful, young boys showed up…_

_One had brown hair that flowed around him, making him look like a prince. And the other boy, a sullen and arrogant minded boy, he had abnormal silver hair that made him almost demonic. But they were both pretty and the innocent, princess like child decided to keep them…For all of eternity._

_So, the morning after she found them, she branded them as hers and only hers. The princess child cast a secret spell on the boys and before they knew it, they were thrashing and clawing at each other's throats. She had complete control over them and where ever they went, she went with them._

_And the more they stayed with the now selfish girl, the more they loved her, and the more they despised each other. The day after that, the sullen boy became even more distant and angry as the brunette haired prince became to think of himself as superior. The princess was happy with the outcome either way as the boys seemed to drift further and further away from each other just as she secretly planned it…"_

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"…And so as the wolf turned around in shock at the sound of the door falling down, the large woodcutter chopped its head off and was able to save the little red riding hood and her almost eaten grandmother. The end," the sound of a book closed with a small thud and the dull voice trailed off slowly.

A little brunette haired girl smiled wistfully down at the book that was being placed on her lap. She giggled and tried to stifle the sound with her little pale hands but to no avail as more leaked out when larger hands started to grab her waist and tickle her stomach endlessly. A silver haired boy smiled down at her and pulled her gently on his lap, "Did you enjoy the story, Yuki?"

His once dull voice was more joyful and she nodded all too eagerly, ignoring his stare at her head bobbing up and down with such insane speed that he thought her ties to her pigtails would fall off at that very moment. The boy glanced at the digital clock that sat on the dark wooden round table next to her pink bed. He shook his head with a sigh, a smile lacing onto his lips quickly.

As he tried to carry her to tuck her in for bed, she started squirming and squealing as if sleeping was going to cause the whole world to end, like her very decision to get all tucked up in was going to make time, itself, freeze. But luckily for him, he was stronger than her and so had no problems with forcing her under the covers. In fact, the silver haired boy actually enjoyed this time of night.

He loved his sister very much, no matter how bad she got.

"Hush, Yuki, hush. Go to sleep, okay? It's already ten."

"But…But…I want you to read me another story. And nothing too scary," she put on a small pout, which he found quite adorable on her.

The boy chuckled.

"Yuki, don't be so selfish."

Yuki's eyes suddenly brimmed up with tears, fake tears, he knew. He frowned as she grabbed onto his shirt and held him tightly, trying to send him on a guilt trip. Though Yuki was only just eight, she was actually quite smart for her age but the bad side to it was that she needed a lot of attention. The silver haired teen sighed.

Yuki, of course, took that reaction as a positive response. She immediately reached for a book, her favorite one, when the boy latched onto her small hand, "Zero?"

He looked intently at the small book shelf beside them and took one out, one that she wasn't at all familiar with. It was thin, red and on the cover had a dark haired man with piercing eyes. His hair was a dark brownish color; much like hers and his narrowed eyes was a tinge red. The eyes made him give off an almost sad kind of aura and she was much transfixed.

On the front read the words **Vampire Knights**. Vampires. Yuki didn't really know what they were but somehow when she was on the internet, the search brought up the name before on one of the many websites she had skimmed through.

He began flipping the pages, transfixed as well. Yuki had to lean over the boy's shoulder and looked at the pictures with interest. The girl also noticed the pictures on the side of jumbled together words had such great details in them that she was amazed someone had drawn them in. She really had no idea that they had a book like that; with that title and it just so happened that it was in her room all along! Zero suddenly started narrating; making sure his voice was loud and broadcasting and at the same time soft for no one else but her to hear which was odd since no one was home except for the two of them.

"Once long ago, in a school named Cross Academy, there lived a man, (the headmaster) a girl who befriended all with her kindness, a sullen boy who was arrogant and impolite," he raised an eyebrow at the sound of giggling from behind him but continued, "And another boy who was said to be as beautiful as an angel fallen prince."

Yuki suddenly looked very interested, "Ooh! This seems better than one of those Mother Goose stories. Continue, Zero, continue!"

"Why?" he asked it awkwardly.

Yuki grinned up at him, "Because there's a prince and a girl in it, of course."

"Che," he rolled his eyes but continued anyway.

"So anyway, the two boys were rivals. They had always been and are destined to be rivals until the end of time," he got no further than that; abruptly closing the book and snorted loudly, "This is such a cheesy story."

Yuki wailed out loud, wanting to hear more about the book, more about the girl and about the so called prince. As any normal little girl, she always dreamt of happy endings, of ever lasting love; Zero could see that in her so very clearly. He was almost afraid of her growing up, of her finding out the truth of real life.

And he absolutely hated the feeling that rose in him whenever he lied to her day in and day out, pretending that prince charming was real and that one day, like in any fairy-tale, she'd be swept from her little feet by a gorgeous guy and fall in love at just first sight.

Zero sighed peacefully to himself when she finally drifted herself to sleep from all the screaming and crying she made. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping. She was so adorable. And as Zero stared down at her tiny body, he suddenly got the huge urge to open the book he left lying by his side and continue it for his own curiosity.

Shaking his head as he found his hand running down the smooth cover, he snatched it back at once and walked out before any more weird urges nagged at him to pick it up. The house was dangerously quiet as he suspended down the stairs, straining his ears to hear any signs of his step-father, Cross, had come in. But there was no such, and Zero began to wonder just what Cross always did that made him so giddy and nervous when he got back home.

Usually by ten thirty, he would lounge in the living room, on their rather expensive leather sofa in front of the television trying to kill a brain cell or two by watching it to pass the time. He would wait for Cross to get home, help them both to some late night snack and take another peek at his little sister before grudgingly go to his own room to get a night's sleep in as well. Tonight, however, he suddenly felt more tired than usual and decided to sleep in early.

Besides, it was really his first day of school tomorrow and now he was just getting into his sophomore year. He wasn't too excited like he was the previous year but he really didn't see what he had to enjoy in the second year of high-school. Zero also hated knowing he had to wear a dreadfully awful uniform for this school and suddenly he didn't seem all that tired.

Well, he wouldn't have seemed very tired had it not felt like his eyelids were a ton of pounds heavy. As he walked up to his room, his gaze lingered at the nearly shut door that connected to Yuki's room. He froze in mid-step as he remembered the story book; the thin red colored book that had written on it: Vampire Knights, a supposedly fairy-tale that was on the girl's little book shelf.

Somehow, during all the times he came into his sister's room to read to her before bed, he never remembered seeing the book before tonight. It was odd and something churned in the pit of his stomach before he scoffed into the air and started walking toward his room again. He already told himself that he wouldn't dare pick up that book unless he had to read more of it for purely Yuki's entertainment and nothing more because something nagged at the back of his mind that something was oddly creepy about that book that magically ended up in her shelf.

"Che and I still remember parts of it too. The two boys soon became rivals. They always had been and are destined to be rivals until the ends of time," he recited the two last lines he read to the girl with a small huff; "It really did sound cheesy. Destiny…Right."

He finally reached his room at the very end of the unlit hallway. The boy climbed into his bed and relaxed as he immediately tried falling into deep sleep. After an hour of counting numbers in his mind, he was able to close his eyes with much less difficulty than at first and minutes later, had entered into the back of his mind in form of a dream.

His dream was mildly perplexing even to him, which he found it unnaturally odd. Usually he would have dreamt up of failing an exam or the first day of school but tonight, it was different. At first, he was confused as to why it felt like he was falling into an open void that went on and on forever.

Then the scene of the pitiless fall changed into bright multi-colored lights and suddenly he was in a classroom of some kind with empty desks surrounding his body. The silver haired boy looked down at himself and noticed he was wearing the same outfit he was made to wear at his own school which was a white, fancy kind of jacket over a darker kind of shirt.

He felt his lips pull downward into a small frown, "Maybe this is a nightmare about me flunking a test…"

As quickly as the scene had changed in his mind, students began to pour in, pushing past him as if they actually had physical bodies of their own. He winced inwardly as one of them deliberately shoved him to the back wall in his rush to his seat. The boy turned to smirk at him and Zero felt his own eyes widen in recognition.

The taller boy turned back and his dark tussles of hair flowed behind him as he walked away. Suddenly the bell rang and Zero noticed another man open the classroom door that stood next to him. That man also looked familiar. _Very familiar._

His lips quivered and the next words that the brunette uttered had him frozen in place with surprise and confusion.

"_Headmaster Cross."_

Cross. That was Zero's step-father's last name. The thin man pushed his glasses up over his nose, stared at Zero and then turned to smile at the brunette haired boy. The silver haired teen almost let out a visible groan and wanted to bang his head on something hard. He almost gave into the impulse except at that very moment, a girl came waltzing in.

A familiar girl came waltzing in.

A very familiar girl…

Only she was older than the one he knew to be true in his real life. He instinctively ran over from the wall and lifted her up in a hug before he knew what he was even doing. When she started pushing away and trying to squirm out of his hold, only then had he pulled himself back together and put her back down. She tilted her head in innocent confusion and the urge to hug her tightly again was playing strongly in his mind.

"Zero, what are you doing here? And wearing that?"

She looked ready to puke and pointed, rather stupidly, at his clothing. In return to the girl's gesture, he raised a thin eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean, Yuki? This is my regular uniform. You've seen it a million times by now."

He furrowed his eyebrows together when she shook her head almost feverishly. Things weren't adding up. Even though he knew this all to be a dream, an illusion; he also knew that his mind wouldn't make this up, already knowing his relations with these people. The other part that also didn't add up was the addition of the brunette haired kid that looked to only be a year older than him.

The only thing he really recognized about the boy was his face but he didn't remember ever coming across another teen like him. Although from the brunette's previous action, it seemed they did know each other. Zero found it extremely frustrating trying to figure out the reason why his brain was doing this to him, casting him into an unfamiliar place with no so familiar people who he knew, he haven't ever ran into before.

Meanwhile, while all of his thoughts were focused on why his dream was like this, his illusion of a sister that happened to be about six or seven years older than her current age was trying to shake him back to the present, back to his own dream. She looked worriedly at him when he snapped back into the dream and wouldn't let go until he admitted he was okay. Then she went rambling on about something that seemed completely nonsense gibberish to him with the word blood in it.

He immediately tensed up when she asked him if he had drunk any blood lately and the boy looked at her in suspicious confusion. Something was very unusual about this dream and he convinced himself he would find a way out of his own head soon enough.

"Zero, don't you remember?"

Zero looked at her, feeling even more confused than he was previously, "Remember what?"

"Your humanity is lost…" her soft voice trailed off with a level of uncertainty and suddenly he found himself barking out laughter.

A laughter that was dark.

A laughter that wasn't his.

And it scared him.

Then he talked; his voice more sane, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Yuki. My humanity has always been with me. I'm not a monster."

She fidgeted and he wondered, vaguely, why he was even talking such nonsense to her and wondering why his mind was even showing this to him. He barely recognized two or three out of thirty people in here. It felt weird.

And what she said next was much weirder.

"You're a vampire, Zero."

Zero winced outwardly; it felt like her words just took a stab at his throbbing heart. He looked sideways to his so called "step-father" and found him staring at him with unreadable eyes. He also felt another pair of eyes boring holes into the back of his head and found the brunette staring at him as well. The boy rolled his eyes.

Everyone sure loved staring at him in his own mind.

Damn him and his inability to try and stay serious only to make dumb jokes at himself.

He sighed and decided to go along with his sister's idea of a "joke", "So I'm a vampire, hm? Then what about you, my dearest little sister?"

She blinked at him with her wide, innocent eyes. Damn her and her eyes. He found it easier to curse at his own imagination than the real objects now a day, "Zero, seriously, are you feeling okay?"

Zero grumbled, "Of course."

She visibly relaxed, "Well I'm human, remember? You're a vampire hunter."

"How in the world can I be a hunter of vampires and a vampire at the same time?" he found himself mumbling.

She frowned at him, "I thought you said you were okay."

"I am."

Before she could answer though, the dream started to fade and he began to purse his lips tightly together in a show of his own annoyance. He tried to reach out for her as the scene started crumbling down but couldn't quite reach her fading distance. The only thing he noticed before he would wake up, drenched in cold sweat was the familiar tinge of red eyes that pierced through the darkness of his mind.

Then he uttered the unfamiliar words that seemed to have stuck into his mind from out of the blue.

"_Kaname Kuran."_

-

"_From one lifetime to another, no one can outrun their destiny, for destiny always has her own way of catching up to them when they least expect her."_

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**A/N: **Hopefully I'm going to put Kaname into the twist next chapter so be ready for it. I may update this one much faster than the last story, but I'll be totally honest with you all here; I don't know. I may have time, I may not. And also, for those who don't read profile notes, please do so. If anyone is interested in continuing my previous story, **Hunter and Prey**, you have my permission to do so as long as you give me credit that it was my story somewhere.

Anyway, that's about it. Thanks for reading. Hope you review!


	2. Two: Kaname Kuran

**A/N: **I lied, I know. I'm sorry and truthfully speaking, this chapter isn't really completed so now I'm a liar and lazy...but I'm sure many of you know that exams are next week and this week. I'm also trying to get caught up with my missing work in classes like Biology. Anyway, before I get off-tracked, I wanted to say that this chapter is the first version, meaning it is just a rough draft.

So if you don't like it, just keep that in mind. Depending on the reviews for this chapter, I may fix this chapter up, completely change it or leave it alone and then fix it after the story ends. I sort of like it this way but another part of me doesn't.

**Disclaimer: **I only own the idea of this fanfiction.

**Warning(s): **Cursing (A tiny bit in this chapter), typos (I'm sure I have plenty of those), OOC (Out of Character - Probably Kaname), boy X boy pairing (Zero X Kaname), mainly Zero angst, sort of some kind of suggestive position in this chapter, and A/U (Alternate Universe). Also remember this is the rough draft version of Chapter 1.

**Being Mortal**

**Type: **Alternative Universe

**Summary:**

From one lifetime as a vampire hunter to the next lifetime as a regular high school student with no memories of the last, the ex-hunter finds himself in a relationship of student to teacher with his old rival.

**Pairing: **Zero X Kaname

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**Two: **Kaname Kuran

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_A human life was like an unending game of chess. No one won until the other forfeit, no one lost until they were the one who died._

"Why'd it have to rain this morning?"

Zero Kiryuu jammed his hands into his pant pockets as he walked grudgingly toward the large building, under the overcast clouds that flashed yellow every so often. His entire uniform was soaked through with the water that poured out from the clouds and his silver strands of hair, damped with rain as well, lay across his forehead, sticking to smooth, pale skin. His eyes blankly stared overhead and his mind wandered back to the weather channel that had lied to him this morning.

Somehow it seemed impossible for the forecasters hired for the channel to get the weather wrong, especially when predicting something for that day but it happened anyway. He sighed wearily and dragged his feet through the wet surfaces of the grass as he cut through the school's lawn as a shortcut to the doors. Already, he could see the hoards of students rushing to get in safely and dryly.

Finally, as Zero reached the door and pushed his way into the school building, the bell rang all-too-eagerly and the silver haired boy found himself racing down the halls to get to his homeroom class. Being a rather excelling student overall, Zero had taken the time to memorize his schedule and since this wasn't his first year at the school, he knew his way inside the building as if it was Cross's own house and he knew his step-father's house _very_ well.

Breathing in a sigh of relief as he finally reached his room number; the boy twisted the door open and stumbled inside, already out of breath. He panted heavily while his classmates looked at him in wonder. The girls all giggled and the boys stared as the silver haired boy got up slowly, realizing that he was the center of attention.

"Are you always late…?" a voice drawled out.

Zero blinked in surprise before looking around for the source of the sound. He spotted a smirking brunette haired man that was a foot taller than he was, wearing a professional blue suit and appropriate pants to accompany it. He tapped at a clipboard and shook his head at the same time, all the while grinning at Zero, as if he was then dubbed as the class clown.

"Not always," the boy mumbled, instantly not liking the man that much.

He shifted his bag over his shoulder and walked down the aisle of desks and he could feel the man's eyes boring through his back as he moved to the back corner of the classroom. The silver haired student took a seat at an empty desk next to a smiling blonde on his left. The boy then leaned his head closer to the late boy's direction, still smiling brightly, "Hi! My name is Ichijo Takuma. What's yours?"

"Zero," the boy said curtly and directed his attention to the other side of the classroom to his right.

"Zero? That's kind of an odd name," the other student looked perplexed, "Do you have a last name too?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"We could be friends and all friends should at least know the other's name."

Zero glared at the piles of cardboards that were lying on the corner of the classroom, very irritated at the talkative boy. Besides he didn't even want friends so who was the other boy to decide without his approval? That was just pure arrogance and Zero hated arrogant jerks. He suddenly stood up, knocking his desk over with a huge thud that made all the students and the man look in his direction.

He turned toward the blond haired boy who now stopped talking and shot out his fist which sent the boy over his chair and onto the cold classroom floor.

"Why don't you ever just shut up? I hate people like you! And I don't need friends!"

The blonde caressed his cheek and got up slowly. He said nothing before fixing his chair so it was behind the desk again and then looked Zero in the eyes, "If you didn't want a friend, you could have just said so," the boy then smiled pleasantly at him, making the silver haired teen want to burn holes into the back of his head even more.

"I hate you and everyone in this classroom," Zero muttered darkly to himself, trying to ignore the smirking Ichijo.

The man who was their teacher sighed softly.

"If you two are done with your banter I'd like to actually teach something…"

Zero smirked wryly; silver, blank eyes seeming to stare him down. He ignored the other students who gasped in shock as he ignored the man in the center of the room and fixed up his desk, sat back on his chair and looked toward the brunette haired teacher with a challenging glint in his eyes. The boy then kicked up his feet to arrogantly prop them up on the desk and smirked like a cat ready to pounce on an unsuspecting mouse, "Oh really teacher? Let's see you teach us something we don't already know then, you know…see how smart you really are as an educated adult with the right certificate as fit for a teacher!"

Even more of his classmates glanced his way now to gape in pure horror or astonishment. Many of them didn't think anyone would back-talk the teacher and the boy next to him, Ichigo, along with a few others seemed to stare at him in shock as well. The blond haired boy had long since lost his smile but he didn't seem to glare either. Whether he was angry or merely surprised, Zero didn't particularly care what he though, though he kept a close watch on his expression out of the corner of his eyes anyway.

"You know, mister Zero, you seem to be quite mouthy for a late person," the man finally said, though from the way his eyes seemed to twinkle, Zero could tell he was more amused than annoyed or angry.

The silver haired boy snorted before stretching his arms out intentionally just to be rude, "Yeah I hear that a lot actually."

"I'm sure you do…"

The sarcasm that leaked out with his words was as clear as the dreary weather outside and considering there was a large window behind the late boy, it was quite clear to him indeed. This first day of school was very unexpected but to say it wasn't amusing to him was a lie. Although he was never one to be late, the first day at school wasn't that bad.

"Well I do," Zero knew he didn't have to confirm it, especially to someone who was using sarcasm but he wanted the last say on the subject.

The man said no more, surprisingly, but turned his back on the class and started talking about whatever came to his mind, which was a lot of unimportant things, at least to Zero. Glancing at the clock with impatience written in his eyes, the silver haired boy paid no attention to the fact that the man had stopped talking and the quiet mutters that the others around had made to each other came to an abrupt halt. Finally noticing the silence, he looked up with tinges of annoyance on his face as the man walked by calmly, to his desk.

The teacher stopped by in front of him, smirked menacingly and leaned close so their noses were an inch or two away from touching, "Mister Zero-,"

"-Actually it's Kiryuu. My name is Zero Kiryuu, sir…" the boy muttered.

The man's smirk widened, "Right. Well anyway Mister Kiryuu, can you come to the chalkboard with me?"

Zero lifted a plain eyebrow, wondering what the man was up to. As he was thinking about the reasons, he felt cold, icy fingers touch his arm before grabbing a firm hold on it and tugging upward. The man, sill smiling down on him, gripped tighter, making Zero gasp in shock at his sudden strength. He winced and stood up quickly, eyes boring into the man's back at the humiliating scene he was causing.

As the two walked in silence to the front of the classroom, Zero could have sworn he heard chuckling from Ichijo or someone else next to the boy. If he had eyes on the back of his head, he would have shot that boy a glare. Everyone in the classroom, mostly the loud-mouthed girls in a group at the back of the classroom, were muttering in jealousy and he thought he felt their heated glares boring holes into his back.

But then again, Zero's imagination really was kind of wild.

And he sometimes was called a drama queen.

So maybe he was just exaggerating a little, just a little.

"Why do I have to do this again?"

The man yanked him over to the center so he was right in front of the chalkboard for all the pairs of eyes in the classroom to see. The man said nothing, just grabbed a chalk, handed it over to the student and pointed toward the problem on the upper corner of the board. Zero looked up and started muttering to himself, "I can't do that sir."

The man raised an eyebrow, "Why not? Weren't you paying attention toward the lesson today?"

Looking down guiltily at his shoes, Zero shook his head. He jammed his hands into his pockets, muttered a curse and was about to walk off toward his desk again when he felt that familiar and increasingly annoying tug at his arm, feeling the same clammy, cold hand that gripped a death's grip and seemed unwilling to move off the position it was in. Zero shot the man his death glare, and tried to yank his arm from the man, only managing to stumble over a long leg and falling on his butt to the floor. He winced, peered up into those glinting eyes and grumbled; red in the face.

The class stared on at the boy's humiliation and some didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Others, mainly that annoying group of girls in the back that seemed to have formed a "Protect the Teacher" club had no problem laughing at the boy. But Zero was not paying attention to the rest of the class.

"What the hell's your problem!?"

The man glanced down and helped him up with one swift movement of a muscle in his arm, "Nothing. You fell down on your own accord."

"No I didn't! You set your foot there to purposely make me trip," the boy glared.

The room went silent.

Zero stood fuming, and the man stood looking thoughtful. The girls in the back giggled and joked, cheering the man on and the boy, Ichijo wasn't even paying attention. The boys in the room were each perplexed about something, whether it be the whole silly argument the boy and teacher were having or homework on the first day of school or even why it was raining that day of all days. But in the end, everyone was occupied with something.

The teacher spoke up, in an even and calm voice, "Maybe you're just clumsy. And really now, had you been paying attention, you wouldn't be in this position."

The boy looked at him, "What position?"

"This," and right as he said it, he pushed the boy against the chalkboard, thoroughly shocking everyone in the room. The man smirked at Zero, hand at both sides of his head as he hunched over the boy. There was a moment where everything seemed to still and Zero, not being in such a position before, trembled, feeling his heart pound desperately in his chest.

The man grinned viciously, making him wince with uncertainty and suddenly as the man dared to inch closer to him, he pressed back against the board, ignoring the pain of his back digging into the small bar that was used for holding chalks and erasers. But just as soon as the man's lips hovered over his own and he shut his eyes, there was dry laughter.

He opened his eyes and stared as the man suddenly pulled back, grinning even more and the next thing he said shocked him even more.

"Just kidding!"

Zero choked up, "W-What?"

The man pulled away so they were further apart, "You really thought I'd kiss a _student_? Besides you're just not womanly enough."

The boy looked at him, suspicious and a little jerky. He gripped behind him at the bar to support his weight, "Right…"

As the man laughed at his attempts to walk, Zero was really beginning to hate the guy. He was also beginning to hate the day and it was just the morning! He glared at the man, wobbled back to his seat and was silent the rest of class. But even though Zero seemed to hate the teacher, the said man smirked as he noticed the boy was actually paying attention.

Perhaps that little humiliation lesson was getting branded into his mind…just as he planned.

When the bell finally rang, Zero stuffed his binder into his bag and headed toward the door. Just as he paused at the doorway, those icy fingers tapped at his shoulders and glanced behind him, "What do you want now? You've already humiliated me."

The man grinned, "I just wanted to tell you my name."

"How polite of you…but I think I'd rather call you teacher," the boy said, trying to shrug the hand off.

"But you don't know my name yet!"

The boy rolled his eyes, "It's Mister Kuran. I'm not stupid."

"Well do you know my first name then?"

Again, Zero found himself rolling his eyes, "Kaname."

The man sighed, still not taking his hand off the boy's shoulders, "But what if that wasn't my real name?"

"That's a what 'if' question. Don't take me for a fool, Mister Kuran. Now if you'll excuse me," he shrugged the hand off and walked down the hall without a single backwards glance.

Kaname blinked, twisting his mouth into a thoughtful frown. He leaned on the doorway, looking toward the direction the student had taken down the narrow halls. What had just happened never happened to him before. As a teacher who stayed the school for four or five years now, he haven't had a single student like Zero Kiryuu and for once in his life, he was actually looking forward to teaching that school year.

"Zero Kiryuu, huh…an interesting person with an interesting name."

-

_From one lifetime to the next, no one can really change, no matter who they used to be._

-

**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed the chapter. And so that I don't have to lie to you all again, I'll say this: To be honest, I have NO idea when the next update will be. Next week I'm taking exams so I really don't know. Let's just say I'm hoping for under a month. Anyway, thanks for reading!


	3. Three: Yuki Cross

**A/N: **Oh man, I can't believe how long it has been since this story has last been updated but thanks for keeping up with me this far! I made this chapter with ten pages in one day, so hopefully you'll take the time to enjoy it. And on another note, since summer is only about one or two days away and I get to stay home tomorrow (which means it's only one more day away for me), I'm thinking of getting started with the next chapter to this story very soon, as in tomorrow-soon but...it may not be posted tomorrow. Give me some time and it may even be twenty pages! Okay? Yeah? Good!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Vampire Knights.

**Warning(s): **OOC (Out of Character - Zero's going to be a bit angsty and Kaname's going to be irritating, and also in this chapter, Yuki is going to be pretty angsty as well so be prepared), typos (inevitable), boy and boy pairing (Zero and Kaname), cursing (maybe not in this chapter but will have some in future chapters), and A/U (Alternate Universe - Zero is a student and Kaname is a teacher).

**Being Mortal**

**Type: **Alternative Universe

**Summary:**

From one lifetime as a vampire hunter to the next lifetime as a regular high school student with no memories of the last, the ex-hunter finds himself in a relationship of student to teacher with his old rival.

**Pairing: **Zero X Kaname

-

**Three: **Yuki Cross

-

_Desire was what made him human. Hatred was what almost left him for dead._

-

He hated everything.

Zero Kiryuu glared down at his empty bowl, pretending that it caught on fire somehow. With his hands clenched into tight fists, he looked up at the sounds of feet shuffling down the stairs. He saw Yuki. She was in her pajamas already, and a book was tucked under her arm. Glancing at the clock in the kitchen, he noticed it was only seven thirty in the evening.

How strange.

"Why so early, Yuki?" he asked, staring back at the bowl.

She looked at him and grinned widely, "I thought I might get you to read a really long bed-time story this time. And I mean really long, Zero!"

The boy smirked, clearly amused, "Not a chance, Yuki. You're going to bed at nine, no buts, got it?"

Yuki crossed her arms and grumbled in a childlike manner. The silver haired boy could tell that he just ruined her little plan. He sighed softly to himself when she just stood there on top of the stairs and pouted at him, thinking changing her expression would really get him to change his mind. In truth though, Zero was only following the orders of his step-father with that one little rule because he _owed_ him. If he wasn't there, Zero wouldn't have been in this very house, with the little sweet girl he had come to cherish.

In fact, he may not have even been alive at all.

So he just couldn't let Yuki break the one and only rule his false father, their father, put up. Not even for the little child he adored and maybe even envied. The girl's wide eyes followed his sudden movements when he crossed the room to stand in front of her, "I'll read you only one. It can't be too long though so save the book for later, okay?"

She looked away, clearly unhappy with his deal but nonetheless, she nodded slowly, shooting him a long side-ways child-like-glare that he was used to, "Fine but I won't like you tonight."

Zero frowned in return but nodded as well, as if agreeing with her, playing along. He was, after all, her older brother. If he didn't play with her, who would? If he wasn't there, who would be? The silver haired teenager took hold of the soft, small hand that was very like the little girl and smiled, "Okay. You don't need to like me tonight. I completely understand that."

She made a face at him before changing it abruptly to a thoughtful frown.

"Oh. Zero," he looked down at her as they walked up the stairs.

"Yes?"

"How was your day?"

He sighed heavily, thinking back on the events that had occurred. Silently letting his mind wander away, the boy almost stumbled on the stair, not entirely paying any attention to his surrounding. That earned some giggles on Yuki's part.

"Annoying…"

"Huh?"

"You asked about my day. My reply is: it was annoying."

"Oh."

The younger sibling let out a small huff of a sigh and then stared down at the floor, seeming to contemplate something that only she knew. It made the older boy feel helpless, for once, not knowing what to do when forced into a situation where he didn't know what the other was thinking. He was also not going to ask since it would make him feel even more helpless for not being able to predict his supposed sister and that in turn, would damage his pride.

"I wonder what my mother was like."

He suddenly frowned as the girl turned to face him with another dazzling smile of hers.

"What do you mean?" he slowly asked, unsure of how to react to her question.

Her smile didn't fade, however.

"You were thinking if you should ask me, right? I know you, Zero. When you're curious about something, instead of asking like a normal person, you'll sit quiet and pretend to be uninterested."

The boy grumbled, inwardly surprised, "How would you know? Are you stalking me secretly?"

She giggled.

The silver haired boy's eyebrow rose slightly. While Yuki was young, naïve and adorable, lately she seemed depressed so it was a rare sight to see her laughing like a normal little girl. Sometimes he would trail behind her from afar when she was caught up with her friends and never once, in the past three months he kept watch of her, had he seen her just as happy and carefree as she was at home.

Or at least as she was today.

But what made today so special?

He pursed his lips tightly as she continued to laugh; unaware of the awkward silence her false brother was feeling.

"I'm glad you're happy, today, Yuki."

She smiled at him, and walked down the hallway toward her room with the older boy following behind, "Yeah, yeah. Something good finally happened at school today."

"Oh?"

"Those bullies who kept picking on me are transferring schools. Both of them are."

Zero sighed, "I'm sorry."

"What…?"

"I'm sorry I'm never there for you, Yuki."

He leaned heavily on the door as she walked in to grab a random book from her bookshelf. Yuki sighed and shook her head, "And I'm sorry I'm a little smart for my age."

Zero stared at her in surprise, "What do you mean? Why are you sorry for that?"

"Just because."

"Just because?" Zero echoed.

Yuki nodded, as if that vague answer was so obvious that even a toddler could understand it. She didn't elaborate any further and being the overly protective brother but also Zero at the same time, the teen didn't have the heart to pry into her affairs. He let the subject slide as they made their ways onto her bed. It was still pretty early according to Zero for a bedtime story so they just sat and talked.

Sibling to sibling kind of talk.

An older brother to younger sister talk.

Their kind of talk…

And usually with such conversations, Yuki was the one who led the conversation, always answering Zero's questions as the boy sits there and stares up at the ceiling thinking of what to talk about when it was his turn.

"…and when they normally make fun of me, I don't say anything to the teachers. I mean I could if I wanted to…"

"…but why didn't you?" Zero asked quietly.

Yuki looked him straight in the eye, casting a sad smile at the same time, "…because I'd like to think people can change by themselves, that they can change without me tattle-telling on them."

Zero clenched his fists.

He didn't like how his sister would just sit there and take in their mockery and threats and harassment just because they were stupid. That was the last thing he wanted to happen to her.

"I don't understand you sometimes, Yuki. You're smart, you really are. People shouldn't make fun of intelligence. It's not your fault they're _stupid_. Gods, that's just how wars get started!" He said through tight lips.

Yuki only smiled, "I know you would have settled it through a fist-fight…but _that's_ how wars get started."

"But you should have at least defended yourself! Did they hit you? Did they?"

He couldn't hide the concern and hatred. He almost bellowed the questions at her and although she didn't look phased by it, her body shook slightly. The teen stood up and glared heatedly at the floor.

"They did, didn't they?"

The brunette stilled, "Maybe."

"What? You're kidding me! I was right!?"

As quickly as he stood, he darted forward and grabbed the child's arm, almost twisting it in his own fear and concern. He rolled up the girl's sleeve and nearly dropped it in surprise. The boy saw scratch marks all over her arm and almost up to her shoulder. Deep red gashes filled other places and some seemed as recent as the other day. Although most of the cuts had dried up and others were bandaged, there were still a few that Zero could tell weren't washed properly and seemed ready for infection any day now.

It was quite a sight to see on his little sister.

"Are you stupid?"

She almost whimpered as he pulled her arm toward him in a mixture of anger, sadness, guilt and a loving bond only a brother and sister could share. The boy tumbled over the bed as the body of his sister flung herself onto him, trying to pry her arm loose from his grip at the same time of the collision but Zero didn't let go, not by a long shot.

He pushed her off of him onto her stomach, slowly but with such a great force, it left her dizzy and dazed before sitting on top of her back and twisting both her arms behind her so he could examine both of them properly. As he inspected her other arm which was covered in red marks as well, Yuki let out a cry that sounded like a wounded animal, kicking her feet out from beneath him in a futile attempt to force the silver haired teen off.

"I can take care of myself!" She sounded shrill from beneath him.

"From the way your arms look, it's obvious that's a lie," he deadpanned.

"I can take care of myself!" She repeated, her voice going up into higher octaves as her legs flailed out and her arms tried to break loose.

"Get off me!"

"No."

"Why not?"

He could easily tell he was agitating his sister with his overly-protective brother act but what else could he do? He was not going leave his sister to deal with problems such as these anymore. He could not. He would not. And he wanted to make sure he got that very point across to Yuki right then.

"I will not get off of you…until you tell me the whole story." He looked into her messy brunette hair as he elaborated, "Tell me the whole story with every detail from the beginning. Understand?"

"No. I won't. Now get off me!"

He sighed. Then a thought occurred to him almost at once and he stood up, quickly and quietly but still having a full death-grip on her arms as he stomped over to her bathroom, dragging her along behind him. When they were both in front of the mirror, he searched for the cabinets, found them and tugged them both open before grabbing the container with the bandages. Zero didn't say a single word as he turned the cold water on in the sink and splashed them on his free hand.

Yuki was deathly silent as well when she noticed her older brother's intentions. Even after she yelled and screamed at him for being concerned, he was still dressing her wounds. Even after she tried getting her way, tried getting him to break the one rule that had kept him at this place ever since she could remember, he wasn't deserting her as a brother. She didn't understand Zero. She couldn't.

He was too complicated, too emotional, too brotherly.

He was too Zero.

And when he finally finished rinsing her arms and dressing the wounds, she could feel herself whimper and then she did the one thing she kept telling herself never to do ever since the bullying started.

She broke down and in front of him, the elder sibling.

"It's okay to cry sometimes, Yuki," his voice was gentle, and yet commanding and she let herself sob even louder, harder into his comforting shoulders.

"Why? Why are you like this? What if I say that I really meant what I said at the stairs, that I hate you?" she asked through sobs.

His eyes widened slightly, became suddenly glazed and unfocused, as he looked pass her shoulders. He knew that she was only asking that as a "what if" question but to think that his younger sister would even think of that almost crushed him. But Zero was the older brother, her only sole comfort when his step-father wasn't there making things better in his own strange way and he couldn't let her know that he was secretly weak.

He would not let her know that he only relied on people's thoughts about him to stay the way he was, that his life was already dead to him.

He wouldn't.

He refused.

And although his breathing was raggedy and his hands trembled as they clutched her head and ran through her soft brunette hair, he spoke with more determination and bravery than he felt at that moment. It almost convinced him that he was alright and that they'd make it through together and that her words haven't cut through his walls protecting him from an emotional breakdown as well.

He would not cry in front of her.

He would not cry when he was comforting her.

He would not lose her.

And he would not lose himself anymore than he already had.

"Even if you hated me, I'll protect you. I'll always protect you from harm, Yuki. From now on…that's a promise," Zero whispered into her ear and finally she stopped crying long enough to move her head so she could focus on him.

"Even if I'm miles away?" she asked softly.

"Even if you're miles away," he confirmed.

"Even if I'm an ocean away?"

"Of course, Yuki. I'll find you easily," he nodded, a smile forming itself onto his lips.

She looked at him, suddenly with child-like suspicion, "How?"

"We have a brother and sister bond. I can feel you in my heart," he gestured at his chest.

"Oh, okay."

"Go to sleep now, Yuki. You look tired."

"I'm not really…"

Yuki didn't even finish the sentence as her head began to droop down and her grip on his shoulders loosened, "Okay…maybe I am. Just a little. But Zero…"

"Yeah?"

He made his way out of the bathroom and tucked her in gently on her bed. As the brunette haired child snuggled up in the blankets, her eyes began to close as well.

"I don't really hate you."

"I know," he smiled.

"And Zero?"

"Yes?"

"I think it's okay for you to cry sometimes too."

"Thanks, Yuki."

"Good night."

"Good night."

And then they were silent as she drifted off to sleep, leaving her older brother in the shadows of her room as he thought back to the day, to the conversation, to the news of the bullies, to the meltdown and to his own almost breakdown. Usually their conversations ended the same. They were always the same with Yuki leading and ending the conversation and Zero always in his own mind, always somewhere else, trying not to return to the reality that left Yuki with so many scars and him, half sane and half dead.

-

"_I don't want to die…mama…"_

_He was scared._

"_Get away from me, you beast!"_

_She was insane, angry and disgusted._

"_Why are you calling me that? Why am I a beast, mama? Why do you look so angry?"_

_He was naïve._

"_Y-you…Why do I look so angry? Why do I call you such things, you little devil?" _

_Her voice was shrill, so high pitched._

"_Yes…why mamma? What's going on?"_

_His voice was a whisper._

"_Don't ever call me mamma again! I hate you! I hate you! You killed them! You killed you own father and brother. What do you have to say for yourself, huh!?"_

_She was gone. Her mind ripped._

"_I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I didn't mean too…"_

_He was sobbing, shaking and whimpering as she lunged at him to strangle him._

"_You are so naïve."_

_Her voice was cold._

"_I'm sorry."_

_He didn't do anything as she shook him like a doll._

"…_so naïve, Zero…"_

_And then everything was dark._

-

"I wonder what book Yuki had in mind," the silver haired boy mused out loud.

He had wandered over to the desk and looked through all of the books, a mixture of child fairy tales from Mother Goose and some textbooks that seemed too advanced for an eight year old. His eyes scanned through all the possible books before landing on one with a fairly peculiar title. It was thinner than most of the others and the color reminded him of blood, thick and oozing that made him shiver.

Surprisingly, it didn't have a name or anything on the side like regular books but before he had a chance to pick it up and look, the door burst open and the sight of his step-father made him almost jump.

"What are you doing home so early?"

Cross, his step-father shrugged and smiled, "Nothing. Just thought I'd give you a little surprise."

"And what would that be besides the fact that you're dressed as if you had come back from a formal dance?" The boy glared heatedly at the elder.

"Actually I have and I brought someone who's familiar with you, back with me," Cross gave him a sheepish grin, eyes darting pass the doorway.

"And who would that be?"

"Your homeroom teacher."

"…"

It took him almost one whole minute before those three little words sunk in. And then his eyes widened in bewilderment. Unbelievable. When had Cross met up with that annoying teacher? When did they arrive?

Was Zero so out of it that he had failed to hear the sounds of the roaring car engine and the slam of the car doors that his step-father could sneak up on him like that? And how in the world did the two meet up? No way…there was no way his teacher was here in this very house with them. He refused to believe it. Cross had to be lying, to be pulling his leg.

"Prove it," the silver haired boy crossed his arms tightly over his chest.

The man only smiled and they both peered at the doorway, looking at it expectantly.

First there was silence and Zero thought he won.

Then there was movement.

And finally there was a voice.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Mister Kiryuu."

Zero's breath hitched.

An all too familiar face appeared by the door-way, smirking the entire time as the figure of the man sauntered his way in and stopped short to face the boy.

And Zero froze at the sight of Kaname Kuran, the most annoying teacher he ever had.

-

_From one lifetime to the next, no one can ever hope to change fate, no matter how much they want to._

-

**A/N:** I hope you liked that. Thanks for the wait and to tell you the truth, I'm already planning the next chapter out. Let me know what you think!

PS: Also have a look at my bio and take a look at the poll on there. Thank you!


	4. Four: Zero Kiryuu

**A/N: **This is the first update but certainly not the last. Because of the poll count, this story gets the next update. I know it's short but I'll post another update after the next two. I'm seriously surprised by the the votes and readers this story got so far. I didn't expect Being Mortal to become so popular but I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm glad you guys enjoyed this story so far and kept up with it, even though it there was a long waiting lapse between the second chapter and the third. Even though this chapter wasn't as long as the last, I think you guys might find the contents in this one to make up for it, hm?

Well anyway, because of the poll results, next update will be for Hunter and Prey, Bonus Edition part 2. And then after that, I will be posting the beginning of Pitch since some people are interested in that, it looks like. I noticed a lot of people go for the Angst/Romance kinds with Zero and Kaname as the pairing of course. I'm like that myself but enough with the rambles, and on with the next chapter. Here it is.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Vampire Knights.

**Warning(s): **A/U (Alternate Universe), boy and boy pairing (Zero and Kaname), OOC (Out of Character - though I tried not to), typos (I tried hard to edit this...), and cursing.

**Being Mortal**

**Type: **Alternative Universe

**Summary:**

From one lifetime as a vampire hunter to the next lifetime as a regular high school student with no memories of the last, the ex-hunter finds himself in a relationship of student to teacher with his old rival.

**Pairing: **Zero X Kaname

-

**Four: **Zero Kiryuu

-

_He would not give up, no matter how foolish he was; he would not give up. Not to fate or to the man that made him feel._

-

"With that look, I must have really been a surprise."

The brunette haired man's voice had cut through the air like an arrow, sarcasm leaking like venom as the silver haired boy stared at him. He didn't hide the shock on his face. He couldn't, even if he tried. Zero was not expecting him at all that night. Who would anyway?

It was almost ten at night.

He was tired.

And he didn't want to even think about his annoying homeroom teacher but now, here was his damn teacher standing in front of the entrance to his sister's room. And to make the situation even worse, the man seemed to only smile just to irritate him, to crawl under his skin. It was too late at night for this.

He didn't need this.

"Go away," the boy managed to mutter, trying hard not to growl.

The brunette didn't move, still blocking the doorway, "No."

"Why not…?" Zero gritted his teeth together.

"Because I'm the guest so you'll have to treat me with proper respect," the response came easily and Zero bit back a growl.

"Guest or not, I'll treat you with the respect you want when you deserve it!"

Kaname didn't waver, his smirk still attached on his face, making the silver haired teen want to shoot him in the head or to claw that smirk off his face, to do something or anything that could make the man move. And because his first day had ended horribly, he knew that the man in front of him would become his worst enemy, a nightmare that never faded. He wouldn't have cared less if his homeroom teacher was someone else, someone who could be humiliated easily, but no, Zero had to have a teacher who was stronger than him, more confident and had played the game Zero played for far more years than the boy himself.

_Zero knew he lost from the start but…_

He clenched his fists.

…_he wasn't going to give up._

The man still didn't move, or respond to his exclamation. Instead, his eyes turned toward his step-father, "Is this a bad time to _intrude_?"

"Yes it is," Zero hissed, casting a glare side-ways toward the step-father in question.

Both adults ignored the boy however.

"Not at all," his step-father chirped happily, ignoring the heated scowl that Zero had, "Zero is always like that. He's even cold to his darling daddy!"

"You're not my father!"

"Oh I see," Kaname's amused eyes landed back on the teen.

If looks could kill, both men would have been dead ten times over. Zero would have made sure of that. He crossed his arms over his chest and stalked over to the man blocking the exit of the room. Kaname only stared down at him with a smirk, knowing he wouldn't be able to get out without trying to get past him. And he would make sure that Zero was right where he wanted him to be.

Oh the joy of being an adult.

The man suddenly moved forward to grasp the slim arms that were tightly crossed over each other and were tugged apart rather easily because the owner of the said arms was taken in by momentary surprise. Cursing out loudly, the silver haired teen tumbled forward into the arms of the older man before attempting to squirm out of the strong hold. Recklessly kicking at his captor, Zero found himself in a headlock and almost hissed out at him when the man's head was right next to his, his curled up lips next to his ear.

By the time Zero managed to cease all of his futile attempts of escape, his step-father was nowhere to be found and the boy had a feeling the man retreated only to give his teacher enough privacy and space to do whatever he wanted with his adopted son. He soon let out a string of curses on the headmaster.

This was definitely not what he wanted at ten o'clock at night.

And on a school night at that.

Meaning he'd see more of Kaname Kuran the next morning.

"Let me go you damn pervert!"

The protest was ignored.

But Zero kept shouting anyway, completely forgetting the fact that they were not in his room. Before the man could remind him of that important detail, Yuki had already sat up and was rubbing her eyes sleepily. She grumbled for a few moments and Zero was afraid she would peer through her fingers to look around for the source of the sound that cause her to wake up from her pleasant dreams. And that source would be Zero himself.

He did not want her to see the position he was in, embraced by a man and who was also his teacher. How humiliating would that be? She would surely suspect something they had definitely not been doing or in a relationship only a girl could fantasize and that also would be wrong. Very, very wrong.

He blanched at the thought.

But much to his relief and maybe even Kaname's though he wasn't so sure, the girl yawned lightly and fell back down on the pillow, already in deep sleep. The teen almost forgot that the man behind him was still hugging onto him until he felt himself being dragged from his sister's room. He sighed out loud as they stopped in the hallway, letting his teacher close the door softly to Yuki's room.

The man still haven't let go of his arms and Zero had to wonder if he was even planning to.

"Let me go," the boy didn't understand why he was even trying to pull away from him.

After all, Kaname Kuran proved to be a strong man and Zero was weak compared to him. But his pride wouldn't take the humiliation. No it didn't want, didn't need to be damaged anymore by this man. He already ruined him at school but this was Zero's home, Zero's territory. He was not going to let another man try and control him, at least not on his grounds.

"Let go, now!"

He tried to twist his arms away from the brunette's hard grip but only managed to growl in frustration when the man twisted his arms with his own, making it even more painful for Zero than before. Then the brunette haired man leaned forward, red lips brushing his soft silver hair as he bent down so his head was at level with Zero's, smirking all the while at the flush on the boy's pale cheeks. Zero, flustered by the abrupt action, hissed out at him.

"Now, now. No need for such hostility, mister Kiryuu."

"I'm going to kill you!"

"Just try."

Without a single warning aside from his usual glare, the boy leaned over to where his captor's arms were around his waist and let his lips touch tan skin. Kaname's body stiffened and he stared hard at the boy before letting out a small growl of his own as he felt his skin burn in pain. He looked down and saw that the now smirking boy had left teeth marks on his arm.

A realization struck him and he released the boy at once.

Zero had bit him.

Zero had bit his own teacher, Kaname Kuran.

"Didn't expect that now, did you Kuran?"

The boy's voice was filled with arrogance and Kaname only sighed. He had been caught off-guard by a boy but not just any boy, a boy with silver hair and eyes, a boy with a tendency to be unpredictable, a boy by the name of Zero Kiryuu. Kaname Kuran let him have his little victory but he was sure the boy wouldn't be able to predict what would happen the next day in class, on Kaname's territory.

No, Zero would be unpleasantly surprised because Kaname Kuran was going to issue a little game between them, a game only Kaname was good at, a game where the stakes were higher than a little humiliation. No it would be total humiliation.

"No, I guess I didn't."

His answer was curt and he knew the boy didn't expect that as an answer, no he was expecting something bigger, more disappointment but Kaname Kuran wasn't one to give in too easily as well and he wanted to make sure Zero knew that. However, Zero didn't show his disappointment, in fact he looked indifferent to his little victory but the brunette haired man could see through his façade. He could always tell.

"You know, it's getting late. Shouldn't you leave now?"

Kaname raised an eyebrow. After the whole getting hugged by an older man in his own house and almost founded out by his own sister, he still had the nerve to be rude? And why was the boy even rude to his guest to begin with? Sure, he didn't seem to like Kaname very much but he was still the guest.

Zero made a very bad host.

"Right, you're right," he smiled at the glaring teen as he made his way down the stairs, knowing that the boy, although rude to a point, was following right behind him to make sure that the man had gotten to the door.

"Of course I am," the boy snorted.

As Kaname sat at the bottom of the stairs to put his shoes on, Zero had tugged open the door, still glaring down at the man he knew he would face again the next day for his second day of school. He wasn't sure if he was dreading what the man had in mind for class or if he was dreading the idea that his homeroom teacher now knew where he lived and had contact to his step-father. He cursed his false father in his head again for going to where ever he went that night to bump into his teacher.

He knew it wasn't on purpose but still…

He hated the very idea that this could have all been a set-up by the man who adopted him for all these years. How could he get together with his teacher? Or maybe Zero was just thinking too much. He really needed to sleep. Before he got further into his thoughts however, he felt sharp nails digging into his hair and his scalp.

His head was tilted up so he could only stare into dark gleaming red eyes, eyes that were just as unusual as his, eyes that could only belong to the man who was his teacher, Kaname Kuran. Zero's lips parted in surprise, "Hey what do you think you're doing?"

The man didn't say a word. Instead, he leaned forward and brought his soft red lips to brush the boy's pale skinned cheeks, now a burning red. And as sudden as the lips had touched his face, it was gone. Just like that. The brunette haired man let go of his hair, letting it fall back into place, messily flailing out everywhere as Kaname mumbled something that was meant only for Zero to hear before walking out of the old house and into the dark, outside world.

The boy blinked, subconsciously pressing his hand to rub the spot on his cheek where his teacher's lips had touched. He blinked again, still staring at the open door, still trying to find the man who dared let his lips graze his skin. And then, after a few minutes, it finally hit him.

His teacher had kissed him.

Kaname Kuran had kissed him.

Zero could feel his cheeks burn with heat yet again that night and he couldn't prevent the small yelp that leapt out of his throat, "What the hell! What do you think you are, Kuran? Teachers don't KISS students!"

And he must have looked like an idiot because when he saw the expression on the headmaster's face, he instantly knew he had fallen into the insane man's trap. Grumbling, the boy slammed the door closed and stormed up the stairs, not caring about the loud creaks that responded to his feet hitting the stairs heavily, one by one.

When he finally reached his bedroom, the boy couldn't help but think back on the day's events. His first day of school had been all downhill from the point where he left Kaname Kuran's class to his second period of that day. His teachers, one by one, seemed to have been placing bets on who could make his day the worst.

From Kaname, he was practically molested in front of his peers and to make matters worse for him, ever since that class, he gained a quick reputation for being the man's boyfriend. All of the girls were either jealous of the rumors or were swooning over the idea of the school housing such a forbidden love that could only be found in wild imaginations.

Zero wanted to shoot himself on the spot after being interrogated by most of the female population, asking if the rumors about the relationship were true. He had played along that morning just for the kicks but soon regretted it terribly when the girls didn't decide to leave him alone right then and there. No, they wanted to play stubborn and asked more personal questions.

-

"_So, who's the seme and who's the uke of the relationship?" a girl had asked with a leer._

_Zero had blinked, not understanding the question at all. He looked from the group of fan-girls and had noticed them all smile and wink at the same time, which left him dumbfounded. Why were the girls like that?_

"_What do you mean?" he decided to ask carefully._

_One of the girls stepped forward and grinned broadly, clearly wanting to be the one to elaborate, "She means that who's the dominant one in the relationship between you and mister Kuran?"_

_He blinked again._

"_Like you know, who's the one on top and who's the one on bottom?"_

_He still didn't understand._

_The girl sighed and rubbed her forehead impatiently, "Who's the one doing all the pinning? Is it mister Kuran?"_

_At that, Zero went a little red._

_One of the girls had then giggled, "I bet Zero is the one doing all the screaming."_

-

The boy blanched at the flashback.

The girls were such perverts. He remembered that he didn't answer the question, only looked ready to puke and the girls took that as a sign of embarrassment. They had shouted with glee and nodded to each other, saying that they knew they had been right all along. How could there be such girls like that at the school?

How could a rumor like that spread so fast on the first day?

And Zero did not scream.

Zero would never scream.

Although they did get one thing right, Kaname Kuran had been doing all of the pinning. He was definitely going to kill the man tomorrow. He would put a stop to the rumors.

But how?

All Zero had been doing was falling into trap by trap.

But tomorrow was a fresh new day.

Zero would definitely not lose this game.

-

_There can only be one victor in a game, no matter how high the stakes. That also included their own._

-

**A/N: **I actually enjoyed writing the flashback a lot. I hope you liked this as much as I have. It was seriously fun. And to everyone that reviewed the past chapters and my other stories, thank you so much! I loved reading all of your reviews and I hope you keep reading and reviewing for future chapters and stories. If you guys had already taken a look at my profile page, you can tell I am going to be busy with Vampire Knights section for a long while.

And for those who liked my other stories in the other sections, I'm really sorry for taking them down but...I really don't feel like working on them right now. My current drive is Vampire Knights stories. I absolutely love writing about Zero and Kaname. But if any of you guys like the ideas on my profile (the summaries) and want to give a shot at turning those ideas into actual stories, ask me through pm/ e-mail or even a review. I'll be glad to let you take the idea (unless I like it and plan to write it myself). Or if any of you want to continue the stories I had taken down, feel free to ask.

Anyway thanks for reading!


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